The General Welfare on Superphysics

The General Welfare

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Our Founders wrote in the Constitution that the federal government would “promote the general Welfare”.

It did not mean a massive bureaucracy that would spend $3 trillion in a single year—roughly the sum, combined, spent by the departments covered in this section in 2022.

Department Of Agriculture

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MISSION STATEMENT

The current mission statement as stated by the Biden Administration highlights the broad scope of the USDA: To serve all Americans by providing effective, innovative, science-based public policy leadership in agriculture, food and nutrition, natural resource

Recommendations for the Department of Agriculture

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Remove the U.S. from any association with U.N. and sustainable-development food production schemes.

Defend American agriculture and advance the critical importance of efficient and innovative food production, especially to advance safe and affordable food.

Reduce the premium subsidy rate for crop insurance

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On average, taxpayers cover about 60 percent47 of the premium cost for policies purchased in the federal crop insurance program. One of the most widely supported and bipartisan policy reforms is to reduce the premium subsidy that taxpayers are forced to pay.48 At a minimum, taxpayers should not pay more than 50 percent of the premium. After all, taxpayers should not have to pay more than the farmers who benefit from the crop insurance policies.

Return To The Original Purpose Of School Meals

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Federal meal programs for K–12 students were created to provide food to children from low-income families while at school.81 Today, however, federal school meals increasingly resemble enti- tlement programs that have strayed far from their original objective and represent an example of the ever-expanding federal footprint in local school operations.

Remove Obstacles For Agricultural Biotechnology

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Innovation is critical to agricultural production and the ability to meet future food needs. The next Admin- istration should embrace innovation and technology, not hinder its use—especially because of scare tactics that ignore sound science. One of the key innovations in agriculture is genetic engineering. According to the USDA, “[C]urrently, over 90 percent of U.S. corn, upland cotton, and soybeans are produced using GE [genet- ically engineered] varieties.”112

Department Of Education

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MISSION

Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Depart- ment of Education should be eliminated. When power is exercised, it should empower students and families, not government. In our pluralistic society, fami- lies and students should be free to choose from a diverse set of school options and learning environments that best fit their needs. Our postsecondary institutions should also reflect such diversity, with room for not only “traditional” liberal arts colleges and research universities but also faith-based institutions, career schools, military academies, and lifelong learning programs.

Program And Office Prioritization Within The Department Of Education

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NEEDED REFORMS

Federal intervention in education has failed to promote student achievement.

After trillions spent since 1965 on the collective programs now housed within the walls of the department, student academic outcomes remain stagnant. On the main National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), reading out- comes on the 2022 administration have remained unchanged over the past 30 years. Declines in math performance are even more concerning than students’ lack of progress on reading outcomes. Fourth- and eighth-grade math scores saw the largest decline since the assessments were first administered in 1990. Average fourth-grade math scores declined five points, and average eighth-grade math scores declined eight points. Just one-third of eighth graders nationally are proficient in reading and math. Just 27 percent of eighth graders were pro- ficient in math in 2022, and just 31 percent of eighth graders scored proficient in reading in 2022.

Additional Bureaus And Offices

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For those attorneys, accountants, experts, and specialists in the department’s remaining offices subject to closure whose positions might nevertheless be a key component of serving the mission—positions that might include the Office of the Secretary/Deputy Secretary, Office of the Undersecretary, Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Finance and Operations, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Office of Communications and Outreach, and Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs—the opportunity to join other agencies based on their expertise and the needs of other agencies should be made available. For example, OGC higher education lawyers would join the newly independent Federal Student Aid Office or the Department of Labor, and OGC civil rights attor- neys would join DOJ. These positions must first be determined to serve a continued mission need prior to being transferred.

Title 6: School Discipline And Disparate Impact

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Federal overreach has pushed many school leaders to prioritize the pursuit of racial parity in school discipline indicators—such as detentions, suspensions, and expulsions over student safety. In 2014, the Obama Administration issued a Dear Colleague Letter that muddied the standard for civil rights enforcement under Title VI for student discipline cases. Before the DCL, a school would be in violation of federal law for treating black and white students differently for the same offense (disparate treatment); under the Obama Administration schools were at risk of losing federal funding if they treated black and white students equally but had aggregate differences in the rates of school discipline by race (disparate impact).

Reform The Office Of Federal Student Aid

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This proposal urges the new Administration to end the abuse of FSA’s loan for- giveness programs, to manage the federal student loan portfolio in a professional way, and to work with Congress for a long-term overhaul of the program for the benefit of students and taxpayers.

Protect Parental Rights In Policy

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In addition to strengthening legal protections for parents, the next Administration should:

These congressional actions should be carefully reviewed to make sure they complement state Parents’ Bills of Rights, such as those passed in Georgia (2022), Florida (2021), Montana (2021), Wyoming (2017), Idaho (2015), Oklahoma (2014), Virginia (2013), and Arizona (2010).

Additional K–12 Reforms

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Allowing States to Opt Out of Federal Education Programs

States should be able to opt out of federal education programs such as the Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success (APLUS) Act.

NEW AGENCY POLICIES THAT DON’T REQUIRE NEW LEGISLATION OR REGULATIONS TO ENACT

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Transparency of FERPA and PPRA Complaints

The Department of Education should be transparent about complaints filed on behalf of families regarding the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).

Department Of Energy And Related Commissions

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AMERICAN ENERGY AND SCIENCE DOMINANCE

The next conservative Administration should prioritize energy and science dominance to ensure that Americans have abundant, affordable, and reliable energy; create good-paying jobs; support domestic manufacturing and technology leadership; and strengthen national security. Achieving these goals will require bold policy action and reforms that involve the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

New Policies: Energy

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To ensure that the American people have access to abundant, affordable, and reliable energy, DESAS’s energy role should be focused on:

Working with the energy industry and networks to ensure energy infrastructure security through science and coordination with the private sector.

Office Of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, And Emergency Response (ceser)

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Mission/Overview

CESER’s mission is to “enhance the security and resilience of U.S. critical energy infrastructure to all hazards,” to “mitigate the impacts of disruptive events and risk to the sector overall through preparedness and innovation,” and to “respond to and facilitate recovery from energy disruptions in collaboration with other Federal agencies, the private sector, and State, local, tribal, and territory governments.”18

OFFICE OF FOSSIL ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT (FECM)

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Mission/Overview

DOE is authorized by law to increase the conversion efficiency of all forms of fossil energy, reduce costs, improve environmental performance, and increase the energy security of the United States.33 In recent years, the Office of Fossil Energy (FE) has been transformed from its statutory role of improving fossil energy pro- duction to one that is focused primarily on reducing the carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel extraction, transport, and combustion. This change is reflected in the office’s new name, the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), effective as of July 2021, and FECM’s mission: “to minimize the environmental impacts of fossil fuels while working towards net-zero emissions.”34

Office Of Clean Energy Demonstration (oced)

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Mission/Overview

The OCED was established in December 2021 to implement the IIJA. Its mis- sion is “[to] deliver clean energy demonstration projects at scale in partnership with the private sector to accelerate deployment, market adoption, and the equi- table transition to a decarbonized energy system.”51

Federal Energy Management Program (femp)

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Mission/Overview

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) describes its mission as working with “other federal agencies to meet energy-related goals, identify affordable solutions, facilitate public–private partnerships, and provide energy leadership to the country by identifying government best practices.”62 Congress has created a number of energy and energy efficiency requirements and guidelines for federal agencies,63 and FEMP works with those agencies to help them meet their congressionally mandated goals.

Office Of Intelligence And Counterintelligence (iac)

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Mission/Overview

DOE’s Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence “is responsible for all intel- ligence and counterintelligence activities throughout the DOE complex, including nearly thirty intelligence and counterintelligence offices nationwide.” It “lever- age[s] the Energy Department’s unmatched scientific and technological expertise in support of policymakers as well as national security missions in defense, home- land security, cyber security, intelligence, and energy security” and “is a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community.”79

OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (EM)

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Mission/Overview

The Office of Environmental Management’s mission is to “complete the safe cleanup of [the] environmental legacy resulting from decades of nuclear — 394 —Department of Energy and Related Commissions weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research.”85 Its cleanup program is the world’s largest, and EM reports that 92 (of 107) sites have been completed.86 According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, “DOE is responsible for the largest share of the federal government’s environmental liability—about 85 percent in fiscal year 2020.”87 Since 2011, EM has spent a cumulative total of $63.2 billion, and its liability has grown by $243 billion.88 It is currently projected that cleanup will take another 70 years (FY 2022 to FY 2091).89 Projected “Low Range” and “High Range” lifecycle costs total slightly less than $652.4 billion and slightly more than $887.2 billion, respectively.90 Needed Reforms

Ferc: Electric Reliability And Resilience

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Mission/Overview

The Federal Power Act tasks FERC, along with the FERC-designated North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), with promoting the reliability of the bulk power system (the transmission and generation needed to power the electric grid).107 NERC develops technical standards, and FERC adopts them as mandatory standards (including cyber security standards) with which transmis- sion providers, generators, and utilities must comply. Under the Federal Power Act, critical electric infrastructure security and issues like electromagnetic pulse (EMP) are addressed by both FERC and DOE.108 In addition, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directed FERC to establish incentive-based rate treat- ments by encouraging utilities to invest in advanced cyber security technology and participate in cyber security threat information-sharing programs.

Federal Highway Administration

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Seek to refocus the FHWA on maintaining and improving the highway system.

Remove or reform rules and regulations that hamper state governments.

Reduce the amount of federal involvement in local infrastructure decisions.

Federal Aviation Administration

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With a budget of $18.6 billion requested for FY 202311 and an international regulatory footprint, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is DOT’s most visible mode. It needs reform. Air traffic control (ATC) operations account for two-thirds of FAA’s budget, and the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) is far behind its counterparts in Australia, Canada, and Western Europe in implementing 21st century technology. The FAA’s primary mission is ATC; its two smaller functions are distributing federal airport grants and regulating all aspects of aviation safety.

Federal Railroad and Maritime Policy

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Federal Railroad Policy

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is making decisions based on political considerations that are at variance with its safety mission. Instead of basing regulatory decisions on the costs and benefits of the available alterna- tives, FRA is promoting actions that favor the status quo and inhibit the use of technology to improve railroad safety. FRA should be making decisions based on objective evidence of the most cost-effective way to accomplish the agency’s safety goals.

Department Of Veterans Affairs

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

MISSION STATEMENT

OVERVIEW

At the end of the Obama Administration, the VA was held in low esteem both by the veterans it served and by the employees who served these former warriors. Eroding morale caused by the downstream effects of a health care access crisis in 2014 led to the resignation of Secretary Eric Shinseki and extensive oversight investigations by Congress from 2015–2016.

Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Needed Reforms

Rescind all departmental clinical policy directives that are contrary to principles of conservative governance starting with abortion services and gender reassignment surgery. Neither aligns with service-connected conditions that would warrant VA’s providing this type of clinical care, and both follow the Left’s pernicious trend of abusing the role of government to further its own agenda.

VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION (VBA)

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Needed Reforms

The most evident and ongoing concern is the complexity of benefits, which can lead to confusion for the veteran and, if not mitigated early in the veteran’s interactions, long-term distrust of and animosity toward the VA. Wholesale ben- efits reform is unnecessary and politically a “third rail,” but effective managerial approaches and technology tools that currently exist in the private sector could be employed to improve existing VBA activities.

Additional Essential Reforms

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Aligning Departmental Resources with Leadership Priorities Across All Components and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. As the next Administration pursues its objectives, it should use the department’s resources efficiently in a manner that delivers results for the American people. To accomplish this goal, it will be necessary to:

Administration For Children And Families (acf)

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

TANF

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is a federal block grant that gives states significant flexibility to fund a broad array of programs aimed at helping low-income families break the cycle of poverty and achieve economic self-sufficiency. States use TANF to fund monthly cash assis- tance payments to low-income families with children as well as a wide range of services that include work activities, work supports and supportive services, child- care, administration and systems, tax credits, pre-K/Head Start, child welfare, and other services.

ADMINISTRATION FOR STRATEGIC PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE (ASPR)

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

ASPR vs. FEMA. When the President declares a national emergency (per the Stafford Act) related to a public health emergency declared by the HHS Secretary, FEMA is activated and controls instead of HHS/ASPR. While this arrangement has some benefits because of FEMA’s unique logistical capabilities, the arrange- ment should be reviewed—especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic—for improvements in efficiency according to expertise and available resources, reduced confusion for ASPR and among HHS agencies, and avoidance of duplicated efforts among agencies and personnel.

Administration On Children, Youth, And Families (acyf)

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Allocate funding to strategy programs promoting father involvement or terminate parental rights quickly. ACYF is currently considering different programs to encourage parents, especially fathers, to engage with their children in foster care. While these program ideas and initiatives are still in the early planning stages, promoting responsible parenthood to reintegrate children or at least keep a consistent male figure in the minor’s life is crucial. At the same time, in cases where the father or mother does not make a sincere or serious effort to be involved in the child’s upbringing, termination of parental rights for children in foster care should be swift.

Administrator’s Office And Reorganization Responsibility

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This will provide executive and logistical support for the EPA Administrator. Its stated purpose is to support EPA leadership and activities. To implement policies that are consistent with a conservative EPA, the agency will have to undergo a major reorganization. The Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy position within the Administrator’s office should be renamed the Deputy Chief of Staff for Regulatory Improvement.

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Revisit the No Surprises Act on surprise medical billing. The No Surprises Act37 protected consumers against balance bills, but it also established a deeply flawed system for resolving payment disputes between insurers and providers. This government-mandated dispute resolution process has sown confusion among arbiters and regulators as judges have sought to ascertain its meaning. The No Surprises Act should scrap the dispute resolution process in favor of a truth-in-advertising approach that will protect consumers and free doctors, insurers, and arbiters from confused and conflicting standards for resolving disputes that the disputing parties can best resolve themselves.38

American Indian Office (AIO)

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

AIO is a vital EPA function. It is mandated to carry out a 1992 act of Congress that administers the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program.51 Because of the sovereign-to-sovereign relationship between the U.S. government and fed- erally recognized sovereign Indian nations, this act’s purpose is to assist tribes in developing the capacity to manage their own tribal environmental protection programs and set them up to implement programs for the management of solid and hazardous waste. This office also is the chief office under which the EPA’s 1984 Indian Policy functions.

American Indians And U.s. Trust Responsibility

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Biden Administration has breached its federal trust responsibilities to American Indians.

This is unconscionable. Specifically, the Biden Administration’s war on domestically available fossil fuels and mineral sources has been devastating. To wit:

Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (cdc)

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

COVID and Structural Reform.

COVID-19 exposed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as perhaps the most incompetent and arrogant agency in the federal government. CDC continually misjudged COVID-19, from its lethality, transmissibility, and origins to treatments. We were told masks were not needed; then they were made mandatory. CDC botched the development of COVID tests when they were needed most.

Climate Change

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Remove the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) for any source category that is not currently being regulated.

The overall reporting program imposes significant burdens on small businesses and companies that are not being regulated. This is either a pointless burden or a sword-of- Damocles threat of future regulation, neither of which is appropriate. Establish a system, with an appropriate deadline, to update the 2009 endangerment finding.

Contract Bar Rule

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Although current labor law allows a union to establish itself at a workplace at more or less any time, the calendar for any attempt to decertify a union is considerably more constrained.

Corporate Average Fuel Economy (Cafe) Standards

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

There are many injuries on American roadways because national fuel economy standards raise the price of cars, disincentivizing people from purchasing newer, safer vehicles.

Congress requires the Secretary of Transportation to set national fuel economy standards for new motor vehicles sold in the United States. This mandate was established in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA),6 a law passed in the wake of the Arab oil embargo to promote greater energy efficiency and lessen the national security threat of U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

Defending The Rule Of Law

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Conduct a thorough review of all publicly available policies, investigations, and cases.

In a manner consistent with applicable law, prepare a plan to end immediately any policies, investigations, or cases that run contrary to law or Administration policies.

Department Of Health And Human Services

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Overview

HHS consists of 11 operating divisions that have varying degrees of practical independence from the Secretary of Health and Human Services and 15 staff divisions that are directly under the Office of the Secretary.

Department Of Housing And Urban Development

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Reset HUD

This effort should specifically include a broad reversal of the Biden Administration’s persistent implementation of corrosive progressive ideologies across the department’s programs.

Implement an action plan across both process and people. This plan should include both the immediate redelegation of authority to a cadre of political appointees and the urgent implementation of administrative regulatory actions with respect to HUD policy and program eligibility.

Department Of Justice

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has a long and noble history. That history began with the creation of the Office of the Attorney General pursuant to the Judiciary Act of 17891 and has continued through the creation of the department in 1870,2 the formation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1908,3 reforms following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and to the pres- ent day. Properly understood within the framework of a constitutional republic that values ordered liberty, the Department of Justice has two primary functions: protecting public safety and defending the rule of law.

Department Of Labor And Related Agencies

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MISSION STATEMENT

OVERVIEW

The labor agencies covered in this chapter include the Department of Labor (DOL), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the National Mediation Board (NMB), the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).

Department Of The Interior

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

AGENCY OVERVIEW

DOI’s purview encompasses more than 500 million acres of federal lands, including national parks and national wildlife refuges; 700 million acres of sub- surface minerals; 1.7 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS); 23 percent of the nation’s energy; water in 17 western states; and trust responsibilities for 566 Indian tribes and Alaska Natives. DOI’s 2024 budget request totals $18.9 billion, an increase of $2 billion, or 12 percent, more than the 2023 enacted level. The budget also provides an estimated $12.6 billion in permanent funding in 2024. In 2024, DOI will generate receipts of $19.6 billion.

Department Of Transportation

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The US Department of Transportation (DOT), with a requested fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget of $142 billion, was originally intended simply to provide a policy framework for transportation safety, rulemaking, and regulation.

Ensuring Proper Distribution Of Doj Grant Funds.

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

DOJ grants are an underutilized asset in most conservative Administrations. When used properly, they can be highly effective in implementing the President’s priorities. The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is comprised of six components and is responsible for most DOJ grants to local law enforcement, juvenile justice, and victims of crime as well as for criminal justice research and statistics. The opportunity to support a President’s agenda may be greater through OJP grant funding than it is through any of the federal government’s other grant-making components.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

MISSION STATEMENT

A conservative U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will support local and state efforts, building them up so that they may lead.

This will include the sharing of federal resources and agency expertise. Creating environmental standards from the ground up is con- sistent with the concept of cooperative federalism embedded within many of the agency’s authorizing statutes and will create earnest relationships among local officials and regulated stakeholders.

Equal Protection for All Americans

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Entities across the private and public sectors in the United States have been besieged in recent years by an unholy alliance of special interests, rad- icals in government, and the far Left. This unholy alliance speaks in platitudes about advancing the interests of certain segments of American society, but that advancement comes at the expense of other Americans and in nearly all cases vio- lates long-standing federal law.

Federal Laws That Shield Big Pharma From Competition.

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Brand-name manufacturers impede the entrance of generic products into the marketplace.

The FDA should prohibit pharmaceutical companies from purposely sitting on their legally available right to be the first to sell generic versions of their drugs. Additionally, Congress should create legal remedies for generic companies to obtain samples of brand-name products for their generic development efforts and should prohibit meritless “citizen petitions” submitted by manufacturers to delay approval of a generic competitor.

FERC: NATURAL GAS PIPELINES

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Mission/Overview

FERC permits, sites, and authorizes the construction and operation of inter- state natural gas pipelines.121 It also regulates the rates for the shipping of natural gas122 (but not the price of the natural gas commodity, which is market based). FERC is charged with ensuring that natural gas pipelines are approved if they are required by the “public convenience and necessity.”123 Pipeline permitting is sub- ject to environmental reviews under NEPA, and the rate for the pipeline and the shipping of the commodity is set by FERC under a just and reasonable standard. Once FERC approves a project, the holder of the certificate has the sovereign’s power of eminent domain.

FIRST-DAY AND FIRST-YEAR ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A new conservative Administration can and should implement the following reforms that focus on both people24 and process.25 Implementation of these reforms simply requires courageous political leadership across all of HUD’s key appointed positions.

Immediate Actions: Alaska

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

When Alaska was admitted to the Union in 1959, nearly its entire landmass was federally owned

So Alaska was granted the right to select 104 million acres (out of 375 million acres) to manage for the benefit of its residents.48

Immediate Actions: Bureau of Land Management

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Bureau of Land Management Headquarters

BLM headquarters belongs in the American West. After all, the overwhelming majority of the 245 million surface acres (10 percent of the nation’s landmass) managed by the agency lies in the 11 western states and Alaska: A mere 50,000 surface acres lie elsewhere. Moreover, 97 percent of BLM employees are located in the American West.

Indian Health Service (ihs) Rural Health

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A growing concern is the decreasing access to health care services for Americans living in rural, less populated areas. Many find themselves in regions that were not previously as rural as industries move away, taking with them economic prosperity and often medical providers. Others are in essential professions such as farming that by nature necessitate living in regions with fewer city accommodations and economic opportunities. Seeking space for one’s family and cultivating the land are valued goals that are deeply rooted in America’s fabric.

Legislative Proposals

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Remove restrictions on physician-owned hospitals.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA)24 imposed restrictions prohibiting Medicare from reimbursing physician-owned and specialty hospitals.

The current restrictions do little more than serve the special interests of large hospital systems and undercut consumer choice of high-quality, specialty care.

National Institutes Of Health (nih)

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the world’s largest biomedical research agency and is made up of 27 different components called Institutes and Centers. Despite its popular image as a benign science agency, NIH was respon- sible for paying for research in aborted baby body parts, human animal chimera experiments, and gain-of-function viral research that may have been responsible for COVID-19.

OFFICE OF CHEMICAL SAFETY AND POLLUTION PREVENTION (OCSPP)

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

OCSPP primarily oversees the regulation of new and existing chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)38 and the regulation of pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)39 and Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).40 These activities are managed in two separate offices within OCSPP: the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT, chemicals) and Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP, pesticides). OCSPP is constantly pressured to ban the use of certain chemicals, typically based on fear as a result of mischaracterized or incomplete science.

Office Of Mission Support (oms)

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

OMS leads the agency’s core mission support functions to improve efficiency, coordination, and customer experience for internal customers, stakeholders, and the public, including protection of EPA’s facilities and other critical assets nationwide, acquisition activities (contracts), grants management, human capital, information technology, and information management activities.

Office Of Water (ow)

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

OW is responsible for ensuring safe drinking water and restoring and maintaining oceans, watersheds, and their aquatic ecosystems to protect human health, support economic and recreational activities, and provide healthy habitats for fish, plants, and wildlife. Its two main statutes include implementing the Clean Water Act (CWA)26 and Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).27 OW has generated a large number of expansive regulations that infringe on private property rights, most notably with the Waters of the U.S. program.

Other Actions

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The 30 by 30 Plan.66 President Biden’s Executive Order 14008 (30 by 30 plan)67 requires that the federal government, which already owns one-third of the country: (1) remove vast amounts of private property from productive use; and (2) end congressionally mandated uses of all federal land. The end result will be “total federal control of an additional 440 million acres of land or oceans in the U.S. by 2030.”68

Prioritizing The Protection Of Public Safety

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Ordered liberty is at risk when our citizens lack physical safety, when career criminals do not fear the law, when foreign cartels move narcotics and illegal aliens into our nation at will, and when political leaders call citizens “domestic terrorists” for exercising their constitutional rights. The Department of Justice—in partnership with state and local partners—must recommit in both word and deed to protecting public safety.

Protect Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship (Joint Employer)

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Millions of businesses across America engage in mutually beneficial affiliation arrangements with other businesses. These arrangements include janitorial services, staffing firms, construction contractors and subcontractors, technology support services, and many other vendor and contracting services. They also include the nearly 775,000 independently owned franchise businesses, which employ 8.2 million workers across the United States. The franchise structure offers a proven business model for individuals who want to own and operate their own small business.

Putting American Workers First

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Cap and phase down the H-2A visa program.

Congress should immediately cap this program at its current levels and establish a schedule for its gradual and predictable phasedown over the subsequent 10 to 20 years, producing the necessary incentives for the industry to invest in raising productivity, including through capital investment in agricultural equipment, and increasing employment for Americans in the agricultural sector.

Religion

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Provide robust protections for religious employers

America’s religious diversity means that workplaces include people of many faiths and that many employers are faith-based.

Nevertheless, the Biden Administration has been hostile to people of traditional beliefs.

Renewing The Department’s Focus On Violent Crime

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Despite the DOJ’s pronouncements that violent crime continues to be a top pri- ority, it has increased across the United States. The department’s leadership must make actually reducing violent crime a priority across the United States—and it must do so in partnership with state and local officials in a manner that is tailored to the needs and conditions in those states and localities.

Restoring American Energy Dominance

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Biden’s war on fossil fuels has led to a dire adverse national impact.

The most important initiative for the DOI under a conservative President is the restoration of the department’s historic role managing the nation’s vast storehouse of hydrocarbons, much of which is yet to be discovered.

Worker Retirement Savings, Esg, And Pension Reforms

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Remove ESG considerations from ERISA.

Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) investing is a relatively recent strategy promoted by large asset managers that focuses not only on a company’s bottom line, but also on the company’s compliance with liberal political views on climate change, racial quotas, abortion, and other issues. The ESG movement has focused especially on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Worker Voice And Collective Bargaining

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Non-Union Worker Voice and Representation.

American workers lack a meaningful voice in today’s workplace. Between 50 percent and 60 percent of workers have less influence than they want on critical workplaces issues beyond pay and benefits. Even managers are twice as likely to say their employees have too little influence rather than too much.